7mm wetsuit weight question

[RedCash02]

I recently just bought a Harvey's 7mm 2 piece wetsuit and will be taking my first attempts at some cold water diving this year...brr... Anyway, I was hoping someone could give me an estimate on how much weight I will need because I probably dont even own enough yet and I was going to try and get my weight worked out on the new suit this weekend after I take a shallow dive in warmer waters. I'm 5'9" 145lbs and negatively bouyant in fresh and salt water. I'll probably be renting Al tanks for these fresh water quarries, but in the ocean with no exposure protection and a LP85 I wore no weight at all, and maybe 2-4lbs with an Al. Can someone give me a good guess on what it might be around?

 

[spectrum]

I recently just bought a Harvey's 7mm 2 piece wetsuit and will be taking my first attempts at some cold water diving this year...brr... Anyway, I was hoping someone could give me an estimate on how much weight I will need because I probably dont even own enough yet and I was going to try and get my weight worked out on the new suit this weekend after I take a shallow dive in warmer waters. I'm 5'9" 145lbs and negatively bouyant in fresh and salt water. I'll probably be renting Al tanks for these fresh water quarries, but in the ocean with no exposure protection and a LP85 I wore no weight at all, and maybe 2-4lbs with an Al. Can someone give me a good guess on what it might be around?

Based on a string of adjustments to what's worked for me so far (and that's not much) I'll guess 20 pounds. Less should be doable with expereince.

Pete

 

[RedCash02]

thanks I was hoping something close to that range. I won't have to buy anymore if I use some of the lead bricks from an old weight belt, but I'm not sure how they would feel inside of my zeagle's pouches. I use 2 little 1lb bricks on a regular basis and dont even notice them in there, but I'm sure I might notice a 4lb one. Anyone ever do this because they didn't feel like buying more shot, or should I be concerned that it might be hard on the bc?

 

[Firefyter]

You can use either with the Zeagle. I use 18 lbs. with a 7mm suit fresh water, and it all fits in the side pockets.

 

[RedCash02]

great! I already spend enough on this hobby. Why spend the money on lead when it could be getting me fills.

 

[redacted]

A friend of mine has a 7mm 2-piece size large. It takes almost 30 pounds. I suggest you start with at least 25 pounds and be ready to add a rock or two.

 

[The Kraken]

Red,
I have the same wet suit and am the same height. Unfortunately, my weight is a bit different.

Aaaaaaaanyway . . . .

With the Harvey's, a Zeagle "Tech" B/C and a hood, I require 16 pounds for optimum buoyancy.

With The Harvey's, a stainless steel "The Kraken's Forge" back plate and Dive-Rite "Venture" wing and a hood, I require 10-12 pounds of weight for optimum buoyancy.

I'm guessing you'll probably need about12-14 pounds.

Hope this helps.

the K

 

[RedCash02]

Thanks for the advice. Kraken, when you say that you have the same wetsuit do you mean you have a Harvey's? If so have you been satisfied with it? This was on sale at a LDS. I tried it on and it fit so well; I decided to splurge and pay about twice as much as I was planning on a wetsuit. It seems like a pretty high quality wetsuit, so I'm hoping it will last.

 

[The Kraken]

I've been diving my Harvey's for over 6 years now and it still feels like new. I average about 10 dives per month.

For me, the fit is so good with the hood that on some dives I've actually surfaced with dry spots still in the suit.

I've done 3 one hour + dives in 43 degree water with this suit and have stayed warm.

But that's the bottom limit of comfort. After the third dive I could tell the core temp was starting to taper off.

Needless to say, fit is everything, but I've found the materials and construction to be first rate. I'd make the same choice again in a wet suit.

You don't hear much about Harvey's here on the board, but I think it's an excellent product.

Go dive and stay warm, you have chosen wisely.

the K

 

[TimTooleman]

I bought a 2-piece Harvey's about 15 years ago in the Pac Northwest. It is a great suit and has held up wonderfully. I still have it and should sell it on ebay - it's now a bit small, if ya know what I mean.

Several years ago I got a 7mm Dacor in a size that fits me. It's much cheaper and it shows! This suit is very stiff in comparison to the Harvey's.

I dove last weekend and used 28 lbs (fresh water). However, it sounds like I need about 8 lbs more than you without the suit, so consider that in your calculation.

What I wanted to share is a little experiment I tried at the end of the dives (with an emptier tank). I dropped a 4 lbs weight on the dock and tried to sink - no go. However, I could easily swim to 10' and was negative at that point, probably 2 lbs negative at least.

The point is the 7mm suit is really thick and gives up a LOT of bouyancy in the first 15 feet. So, next time I dive with the suit I will definately use only 24 lbs, and would even try it with 22 or 20. But, with an empty-ish tank I'd be careful to make sure I stay below 15' until the safety stop was over.

Maybe you can try it with a bit of extra weight until you learn the changing bouyancy characteristics of your suit and then try to drop some weight back off later.